OHA Advocacy Network

Advocacy Alert • Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Contact your state senator in support of SB 120

ACTION DEADLINE: Tuesday, June 5

OHA is working to obtain a June 6 committee vote on Senate Bill 120, legislation requiring all hospitals to operate 24/7 emergency departments. As such, OHA is asking hospitals to contact their senators, particularly those that sit on Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, asking them to support the legislation.

The Ask

OHA is asking your hospital CEO – or preferably a member of your Board of Trustees – to contact your state senator by June 5, asking that he or she support SB 120 (Goodman). SB 120 would require all Ohio hospitals to operate 24/7 emergency departments, making the expectation and/or perception of the citizens of Ohio that every hospital offers an emergency department for urgent situations a reality.

Find the office number for your state senator.

OHA suggested talking points on SB 120.

The Background

OHA’s goal is to ask the Senate Health Committee to approve SB 120 on June 6. Every time this issue is delayed, more specialty hospitals without emergency departments are constructed and would be grandfathered by any future solution.

Examples include:

In Springfield, a group of physician investors is planning to build a for-profit specialty hospital.
In Newark, an existing for-profit surgery center is constructing a specialty hospital.
In Dayton, the Regent for-profit specialty hospital opened in October 2006.

If the addition of a hospital with duplicative services can happen in Springfield, is happening in Newark and has happened in Dayton, then it can happen anywhere in the state. This fact pattern playing out in real time is the best reason we have to urge action NOW.

Contact Reed Fraley (reedf@ohanet.org) or Bridget Gargan (bridgetg@ohanet.org) by e-mail or at 614-221-7614 to share legislators’ responses.

Not a Member of the Advocacy Network?

Being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network provides you access to information on government activity and assists the hospital industry in sending unified messages to elected officials. If you are not a current member, you can easily join on-line. Join today to start reaping the benefits of being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network.

The OHA Advocacy Network is a service of the Ohio Hospital Association, 155 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215-3620, 614-221-7614, 614-221-4771 (fax)

Visit us on the Web at: www.ohanet.org

Direct questions on OHA’s advocacy agenda to:

Bridget Gargan, Vice President, State Policy & Advocacy (bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Jeff Klingler, Director, State Policy & Advocacy (jeffk@ohanet.org)

Jean Scholz, RN, Director, Health Policy (jeans@ohanet.org)

Rick Sites, General Counsel (ricks@ohanet.org)

Stacey Conrad, Specialist, State Policy & Advocacy (staceyc@ohanet.org)

Jonathan Archey, Manager, Federal Relations (jonathana@ohanet.org)

Laura Landis, Executive Assistant, State Policy & Advocacy (laural@ohanet.org)